The Rose Throne by Mette Ivie
Harrison is a fantasy story about two princesses from rival
neighboring kingdoms, that are brought together by political alliances,
magic, and prophecy. The Rose Throne is told from each princesses perspective, as slowly Ailsbet and Marissa's story unfolds. Princess Ailsbet comes from Rurik, where the magic of taweyr is favored by the ruthless king, who is also her father. Taweyr is usually possessed by men, and it is shaped by anger, determination, and strength of will. Princess Marissa come from Weirland where women possess the magical power of neweyr, and its nurturing affects that comes from the earth and brings forth new life. What follows is a story of how both princesses learn how to deal with court intrigue, arranged marriages, love, magic and prophecy.

What Was The Setting Like:

The
Rose Throne is set in a fantasy world where magic is part of everyday
life, but is handled vastly different in each of the princesses
kingdoms. I thought this made quite an interesting plot line, and one
that I enjoyed reading about. Some of my favorite parts of the book were
those dealing with Princess Ailsbet and Princess Marissa learning how
best to use their magic of taweyr and neweyr.

The Characters:

To me, Ailsbet had so much potential as a strong character. Yes, sometimes she was rude
and selfish, but I think that it was in part due to her oppressive
father (the King) and the horrible Court life she was brought up in. I
wanted to see
her use her magic to overthrow the tyranny in her Kingdom, and to take
charge. She was brilliant with her music, and I kept waiting for her to
combine it ( music ) with her magic. There was so many possibilities for her to
use her magic, but they were never fully explored.

Issa
( Marissa) has this wonderful, nurturing kind of magical power, but
again in the book it was hardly explored. I have to admit, this was a
big disappointment for me. I did however, admire Issa as she learned how
to maneuver through court intrigue, and tried to befriend Ailsbet,
as well as Prince Edik.

The Love Interest:

Although
there was a love interest for each princess, I didn't feel
very connected to either romance. For some reason I felt Princess Issa's( Marissa) love interest
would have been better suited to Princess Ailsbet, whose magic and
temperament seemed a better match. Although I love a romance, The Rose Throne probably would have been just as good without one.

Swoon Factor: Blush. The romance factor is very light in depth.

Swoon Factor "Quote"

"Breathless, she reached him and flung herself into his arms. It felt so good at last to be able to be with him without guilt."

What I liked:

I liked that The Rose Throne's unique magical system. There were moment that I felt
like I was holding my breath in anticipation, while reading a passage
about how one of the princesses were using her magic. The most
spellbinding moments for me in the book was when (Slight Spoiler)
Ailsbet discovered she a the power of taweyr, and then later, when Issa
used her magic to destroy the Tower. The author has this wonderful way
of describing the magic in The Rose Throne, and its various forms that
it can take. It was these moments of magic that kept me turning the page
in anticipation of what could happen next.

What I would have liked or felt could have been better:

"The trouble is that
neither princess has the power--or the magic--to rule alone, and if the
kingdoms can be united, which princess will end up ruling the joint
land? " from The Rose Throne book description.

(Slight Spoiler Below)

I felt that The
Rose Throne could have been such a awesome book, if the
princesses did in fact join together, and use their magic to unite and
heal the Kingdoms. I felt too much time was spent on the romances, and not enough on the princesses, and their individual
magic, coming together to benefit the kingdoms. I was disappointed that they were given the tools (magic), but never came close to fulfilling the prophecy hinted at.

The Ending:

For the most part, I enjoyed The Rose Throne, and I liked how the author Mette Ivie Harrison interwove Ailsbet and Marissa stories together. My favorite parts of the story were the few times that magic was actually evolved, and the main reason I kept turning the pages. I would have liked to have become more connected to Ailsbet and Issa, and was disappointed that the story seems to end abruptly without much closure as far as the Prophecy was concerned.

My Rating: 3 Stars

The Rose Throne was provided to me by Netgalley and Egmont USA in exchange for my honest review.